The adjustment of side guides for materials such as envelope and sheet feeders is critical for a feeder to function properly. Improperly set side guides can cause failure to feed when guides are adjusted too tightly, so that they pinch the materials. Leaving guides set too loosely can cause skew and offset problems with the materials as they are moved toward the feed head of the equipment. Typically, the operator needs to set the side guides in a feeder tray based on experience, trial and error and the feel of the adjustment; not too tight, so that materials fails to feed, and not too loose so that materials are not guided properly. Failing to constrain the materials properly can lead to problems in paper handling equipment including insertion, folding and printing errors due to excessive skew and offset. Existing methods to resolve this problem have included specific procedures and visual aids to insure that a reasonable gap is set between the guides and the stack of materials.
One arrangement for an adjustable side guide is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,215 B2 for SELF-ADUSTING SIIDE GUIDE FOR A MAIL HANDLING DEVICE. A self-adjusting guide is provided for a document handling machine having a feed deck along which documents are transported. The self adjusting side guide includes a member mounted for movement along the feed deck toward and away form the documents. A side guide self adjusts to correct the drag effect problem.